Oso Creek expected to reach all-time high mark

Previous flood height set during Hurricane Allen in 1980

CORPUS CHRISTI - Weather forecasters are expecting Oso Creek to reach a record-breaking 31 feet and remain above flood stage levels for the next couple of days until the waters recede.

The creek's height, at this point, is merely a prediction since the flood gauge quit working yesterday after the water reached 28.2 feet, said National Weather Service Meteorologist Roger Gass. The highest recorded Oso Creek level was 29.37 feet on Aug. 10, 1980 when Hurricane Allen made landfall in South Texas.

Gass said the creek has stabilized since yesterday when the Corpus Christi area received more than 7 inches of rain. The creek is expected to stay above flood stage levels of 20 feet for a couple of days.

"It's going to take some time," he said. "A lot of the runoff is still flowing toward Oso Creek."

Rivers above flood stage in the area include Nueces River at Bluntzer where it has reached 23.79 feet and is expected to crest this afternoon at 24 feet, Gass said. Aransas River at Skidmore has peaked at 24.23 feet where flood stage levels are 13 feet. The Nueces River at Calallen is expected to rise above the 7-foot flood stage level on Tuesday as water sweeps downstream from the Bluntzer area.